Christian Adam

This is a good example of how defamation works in the modern age, and why it’s not as simple as “just sue them.” The person in this recording is absolutely not Erika. It couldn’t even be Erika because she was like 16 at the time of this recording. And yet this account, amplified by bigger accounts like Ian Carroll, has made this claim recklessly and with malicious disregard for the truth. Can Erika sue over it? Does she have any recourse at all? Sure, she can sue. I hope she does. But in order to win a lawsuit she’d have to prove that this person posted this nonsense knowing it wasn’t true, and then she’d probably have to prove damages, and then she’d have to hope that the broke assholes who posted and amplified it actually have the funds to pay, which they don’t. And all of this will take a long time, years potentially, to sort itself out in court. Even if she wins, it won’t make a difference to the people who’ve already decided that she’s some kind of cartoon villain. They’ll just use the fact of the lawsuit as proof that Erika “has something to hide.” Meanwhile she will have only further highlighted and called attention to the very lies she’s trying to rectify in court. So in other words, it’s the ultimate lose-lose scenario. I’ve experienced much smaller versions of this. People who engage in outright open defamation, slandering my character with totally manufactured lies, and yet I don’t sue for all the reasons above. It’s total bullshit. The upshot is that the slanderers and defamers basically have carte blanche to lie about you and destroy your reputation. Your only recourse is costly, takes a long time, and may damage your reputation even more.

Virginia really is something